TREC: The competition structure

By Jane Barden

How to...

21 January 2010 12:04

Phase 1: Parcours d’Orientation et de Régularité (POR)
This phase is map-reading on horseback. It’s not a race as the speed between checkpoints is set by the organisers – in fact competitors can lose points for going too fast as well as too slowly. Beginners tackle a course of up to 12km but anything up to 45km is usual at championship level, which also tends to have faster paces.

Phase 2: Maîtrise des Allures (Control of Paces/Gaits or CP)
Harder than it sounds, this test is looking for a slow canter and a fast walk – without falling into trot or jogging – usually over a straight, relatively narrow 150m course, but S-bend or horseshoe tracks are sometimes used.

Phase 3: Parcours en Terrain Varié (PTV)
Everybody’s favourite bit! This is the cross-country obstacle course, generally one to five kilometres long. It includes some jumping but also a range of difficulties you may face out hacking, such as opening a gate and passing under low branches, as well as ‘everyday’ tasks – loading into a trailer, for example. There are tests of obedience and calmness such as mounting from the ‘wrong’ side without the horse moving off, as well as in-hand tasks. These can include leading your horse over wooden bridges or up and down banks. All the tests should be completed in the same pace as they are started, as changing down a gear results in points loss. But none of the difficulties are obligatory and can be bypassed without elimination, as long as the relevant judge is informed that you don’t want to attempt it.

Scoring
Scoring is based on accumulating the most points from a maximum total of 460 (240 for the POR, 60 for the CP and 160 for the PTV). One of the major appeals is that a horse or rider is not eliminated if unable to perform any part of the competition – they just lose points. The demands of the competition are so wide and varied it is acknowledged that not all riders or horses can be good at everything. Injury, cheating or losing equipment can result in elimination but it is rare, giving the sport considerable appeal to the less-than perfect rider on the less-than-perfect horse.